Dangerous Testimony: Dangerous to Believers

At about that time, King Herod laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church, in order to mistreat them. 2He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.b 3When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter during the days of Unleavened Bread

4After arresting Peter, Herod put him in prison and handed him over to four squads of four soldiers each to guard him. Herod intended to bring him before the people for trial after the Passover. 5So Peter was kept in prison, but the church earnestly offered up prayer to God for him.

6The very night before Herod was going to bring him out for trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers. He was bound with two chains, while sentries were in front of the door, guarding the prison.

7Suddenly an angel of the Lord stood near him, and a light shone in the cell. The angel woke Peter up by striking him on the side, saying, “Quick, get up!” The chains fell from his wrists.

8Then the angel said to him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” So he did so. Then the angel told him, “Put on your cloak and follow me.” 9Peter went out, following the angel, but he did not realize that what the angel was doing was really happening. He thought he was seeing a vision. 10When they had passed through the first and second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city. It opened all by itself for them.d They went outside, walked down one street, and immediately the angel left him.

11When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from everything the Jewish people were expecting.”

12When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, who is also called Mark.f Many had gathered there and were praying. 13When Peter knocked at the entrance gate, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14She recognized Peter’s voice and was so overjoyed, she did not open the gate. Instead she ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate.

15They told her, “You are out of your mind!” But she kept on insisting it was so, and they started saying, “It’s his angel.”

16Meanwhile, Peter kept on knocking. When they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17Peter motioned to them with his hand to be silent and described to them how the Lord had brought him out of prison. He said, “Tell these things to Jamesh and to the brothers.” Then he left and went on to another place.

18At daybreak, there was no small commotion among the soldiers about what had become of Peter. 19After Herod searched for him and did not find him, he questioned the guards and ordered that they be executed.

Testimony about Christ is dangerous.

1. Testimony about Christ is dangerous to believers.

2. Testimony about Christ is dangerous to unbelievers.

INTRO

Today’s sermon is another chapter in our series on dangerous testimony. In the story of Herod Agrippa against the apostles we see two main points:

Testimony about Christ is dangerous to believers.

Testimony about Christ is dangerous to unbelievers.

Since we have already heard the sermon text I will just remind you of the main points (above)

First

1. Testimony about Christ is dangerous to believers.

Our text begins with dangerous hatred of Herod. He had a family history of dangerous hatred. His grandpa Herod the Great had killed the babies at Bethlehem. Herod the Great’s son, Herod Antipas, had killed John the Baptist. Now in the third generation this Herod, Herod Agrippa, carries on the family tradition. He persecuted the people of the church and murdered the apostle James. He planned to pour out his hatred further and win popularity with the leaders of Israel by putting Peter in prison to wait a charade of the trial and execution. The only weapon the church had to stop him was prayer which they undertook whole heartedly. 

The second event of our text is divine intervention and a miraculous delivery. As Peter sleep soundly on the night before his planned execution, chained between two soldiers in a heavily guarded prison, suddenly he was awakened by a heavenly light. He saw an angel beside him. The chain fell off him and at the angel’s command, he got dressed and got ready to leave. He passed by one guard post and then another. Not a soldier stirred. Peter walked on like a sleepwalker in a dream. The iron gate of the prison swung open and Peter found himself standing alone in the street. Perhaps it was the cold night air that snapped him to attention but Peter now wide awake said, “I know for sure that God has sent his angel and rescued me. 

The third stage of our text was a happy reunion and many more years of testimony. Peter headed for the meeting place of the church in the home of Mary, the mother of Mark, the future evangelist, the companion of Peter. At Mary’s house the church was gathered in prayer for Peter. They did not yet realized that they could stop praying because their prayers had been answered. A servant girl named Rhoda went to the door but got so excited to see Peter that she forgot to let him in.  She ran off to tell the congregation, but they thought she was crazy. It was surely not Peter. Maybe it was his guardian angel. (People in that time seemed to think that people had guardian angels that looked like them. The Bible does not say this, though there are angels who watch over us.)

But still there was this loud banging at the door. They were all amazed as Peter stood in their midst. After the congregation had heard the good news and I am sure songs and prayers of thanks and hugs and embraces, Peter left for another place (maybe Antioch in Syria). He continued to give his testimony for another thirty years or so. He wrote two epistles of the New Testament and delivered his testimony to Mark to preserve in his Gospel. After these years of service, if tradition is correct, Peter suffered a martyr’s death in Rome. James’ brother John lived on for 25 or 30 years after the death of Peter until he had written his Gospel, three epistles, and Revelation and the NT was complete,

James testimony was brief. He wrote no books but testified through his death. Peter testified another 30 years; John another 25 or 30 years after that. All of them completed the testimony God had assigned for them. Then they enjoyed the same salvation. It will be the same for us.

Second

1. Testimony about Christ is dangerous to unbelievers when they oppose it.

God puts an end to their opposition. The soldiers who were holding Peter for his execution were instead, executed themselves. Our text is already pretty long, but we actually need to read a bit farther—in the verses right after our text Herod himself is put to death by an angel for his blasphemy against God. 

You can think of many other examples of how opposition to God’s word brought danger to his enemies. Perhaps the first such person that comes to mind in the Bible is Pharaoh of Egypt and the ten plagues. In more recent times, I believe that the prayers of the persecuted Christians were one of the things that brought down the mighty Soviet Union after only 70 years of opposition to God. I am sure you can list many other examples ancient and modern.

When the gospel train is rushing through the world, there are only two possible outcomes. You can climb on board and be carried to safety, or you will be run over if you stand in the way or left behind if you stand aside. 

But today I am thinking about another way in which the gospel is dangerous. As we have been going through this series about dangerous testimony, have you ever asked yourself “why does the world hate the gospel so much? It does not make sense—the gospel is so beautiful; it offers free gifts. I can’t understand why they hate it.”

The reason they hate the gospel is that gospel can’t be stopped in spite of their most devilish efforts. Near the end of this story in our text it says “24But the word of God continued to grow and increase.”

People realize that the gospel is dangerous because it overpowers all the systems of the world. It sweeps aside heathen religions. It testifies against corrupt rulers. Just as the corrupt leaders of Israel realized that their evil system could not stand along side Jesus, the leaders who opposed the apostles realized there could be no compromise between Christ’s system of salvation and theirs.  It is the same today.

At one of Paul’s many trials this accusation was thrown at him. “This is the man who causes trouble all over the world.”  Was Paul guilty as charged? Absolutely! Almost every time Paul preached somewhere trouble followed. Paul’s message was simply too dangerous to Pharisaic pride and to useless idols and their priests to be ignored. This is true whenever the gospel confronts the religious and moral systems of the world.

Many years ago, I had the opportunity to debate against a Muslim scholar on the topic “who is Jesus?” In the aftermath of that debate I was invited to attend the local mosque several times during the festival of Ramadan. The disagreement between us was day and night, but in general the tone of discussion was polite. But one time as I entered the mosque, a man grabbed me and was shaking me and yelling, and pandemonium followed. When my hosts came to my rescue and dragged attacker off to the corner to glare at me the rest of the night, they said, “We are sorry this happened to you our guest, but surely you understand what a dangerous man you are.” I was momentarily surprised but I quickly realized they were absolutely right—I was very dangerous, not me personally but the words I spoke. The love and forgiveness of Christ are the only thing that can overcome Islam or any other false religion. If I came and said, “Islam is a nice religion and Christianity is a nice religion and I like them both,” we could always enjoy the feast together. But members of the mosque were beginning to ask, “You mean God is a Father who loves me and forgives my sins. I never heard such a thing.” The leaders of the mosque realized that  made me very dangerous—I was dangerous to their religion, to their family unity, to their whole system. The gospel could open people’s eyes and draw them away, Not surprisingly shortly after this I was told “If we want to see you at the mosque again, you will get an invitation.” I keep checking my mail box….

Our series should leave you with two main lessons.

One: You are dangerous. If you preach the gospel, you are dangerous. It is the only thing that can change the hearts of people who are held in slavery by Satan’s lies. Rational argument and debate may shake people’s confidence in some of their ideas, but only the gospel can change their hearts and turn hate to love. Sometimes to reach safety people have to pass through danger. What a blessed danger that the gospel which threatens people’s way of life leads them to a better life the 

Two: You are safe. When Daniel’s three friends were threatened with being thrown in the fiery furnace, they told the king, “Our God can save us, but whether he does or he doesn’t, we won’t worship your idol.” They did not know whether God would save them by rescuing them from the flames or by taking them to heaven. They were ready for either alternative.  James, who suffered martyrdom in our text was the first apostle to be put to death. His brother John lived for many more years until he was the last apostle to die. Each filled his spot in God’s plan. We do not know yet what our role and our time will be in God’s plan. But we know that we will be safe and we can bring blessing to others who we rescue by our dangerous testimony.

Dangerous Testimony: Before Authorities

Jesus said to his disciples, “Peace be with you! Just as the Father has sent me, I am also sending you.” (John 20:21) Amen.

Paul has finished his third missionary tour – a four-year trip into Asia Minor and Greece – and ended his journey in Jerusalem. Some Jewish religious leaders who vehemently opposed his message about Jesus Christ stirred up a mob that almost tore Paul to pieces. Roman soldiers had to intervene. The commander put Paul under arrest until a trail could be held. Before the trial, the commander heard about an assassination plot on Paul’s life. The commander used 270 armed soldiers under the cover of darkness to protect Paul as he was moved to the port city of Caesarea to meet Governor Felix.

Felix couldn’t decide what to do with Paul and was upset that Paul didn’t give him a bribe. So Felix left Paul in prison for two years as a favor to the Jews. Felix was recalled to Rome on charges of being a corrupt governor. Festus was then installed as the Roman governor over the Judean province.

Three days after arriving in Jerusalem from Caesarea, the Jewish religious leaders presented charges against Paul to Festus. They requested that Festus transfer Paul to Jerusalem for trial, as a favor to them. They planned to ambush Paul along the way and assassinate him.

Festus went back to Caesarea and asked Paul if he was willing to go to Jerusalem to stand trial. Paul resisted the governor and appealed to a higher governing authority by saying, “I appeal to Caesar!”

After conferring with his legal counsel, Festus declared, “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!”

A few days later, King Herod Agrippa arrives in Caesarea to pay his respects to the new Roman governor. Agrippa is the son of Herod Agrippa I who put James to death, the great nephew of Herod Antipas who beheaded John the Baptizer, and the great grandson of the Bethlehem baby-killer Herod the Great. That’s a great family tree!

Although Agrippa does not rule Judea, he has control over the temple and the right to name the high priest. His title of “King” is under the authority of the Roman government. He understands the Jewish people in a way that the Gentile Roman governor does not.

Festus is at a loss to investigate and settle Paul’s case. Under Roman law, there was no case against Paul. But as the new governor, Festus wants to get along with the Jewish leaders. This is a religious matter and the Romans don’t care about religious matters. The only thing that matters to them is keeping the peace. Festus hopes Herod can help him determine what specific charges should be pinned on Paul.

The next day Paul is brought before King Agrippa and Governor Festus and other dignitaries. This isn’t a trial. No witnesses or accusers are present. No verdict will be handed down. Paul could have refused to participate since he was not under Herod’s jurisdiction. But Paul consents to speak – not only to testify to his innocence, but mainly to testify to Christ’s gospel before the authorities.

As he had before the Sanhedrin and before Governor Felix, Paul begins with the hope of the resurrection. The Sanhedrin wanted to deny Jesus’ resurrection, but Paul says that the history of the Jewish people was based on the hope of God raising the dead. Then he recounts his conversion story on the road to Damascus when he received a vision of the risen Christ who turned a persecutor into a proclaimer.

Paul stresses that the Christian gospel is not a departure from the true, ancient faith given to the Old Testament Jews. It is a continuation and fulfillment of everything from Moses to Malachi. “I am saying nothing other than what the prophets and Moses said would happen” (Acts 6:22). Paul then forcefully proclaims that these wonderful promises were all fulfilled in the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. “… that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light to our people and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:23). He makes the point that Christ is only the first who will be raised from the dead. He shines the light of salvation to those who are trapped in the darkness of Satan’s power until the good news of Jesus sets them free to serve God.

Festus calls Paul insane, “Paul, you are out of your mind!” Paul replies, “I am not insane, most excellent Festus, but I am clearly speaking words that are true and sensible.” Then he challenges the king. “Certainly the king to whom I am freely speaking knows about these things. Indeed, I cannot believe that any of these things has escaped his notice, because this has not been done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.”

Agrippa doesn’t know what to say. If he believes the prophets, he can hardly deny they speak of the resurrection. If he doesn’t believe the prophets, he could hardly continue as “the king of the Jews.” So he answers, “In such a short time are you going to persuade me to become a Christian?”

Paul’s answer is perfect. “I pray God, that whether in a short time or a long time, not only you, but also all those who are listening to me today would become what I am, except for these chains.” Paul’s prayer is that no matter how long it might take, God will turn the hearts of all who heard him speak that day. He wants them to all be like he is – except for the whole being in prison thing – forgiven sinners and redeemed saints of God.

Paul boldly preaches before the authorities a message of law and gospel, repentance and faith. He proclaims Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. Paul’s defense of his ministry is to share the gospel.

Jesus once warned his disciples of all ages: “Be on guard against people. They will hand you over to councils, and they will whip you in their synagogues. You will be brought into the presence of governors and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.” But he also promised, “Whenever they hand you over, do not be worried about how you will respond or what you will say, because what you say will be given to you in that hour. In fact you will not be the ones speaking, but the Spirit of your Father will be speaking through you” (Matthew 10:17-20).

This happened to Paul. We are livening in a culture and climate where it is becoming increasingly likely that it will happen to you. You may be called to give your testimony – a dangerous testimony – before authorities. Those authorities may be the government, your university, your employer or the public.

For resisting totalitarian edicts, Pastor Coates of Gracelife church in Alberta, Canada was arrested, tried in secret and thrown in prison for over a month. Now that he’s been released, the authorities have erected large scale fencing around the church property to keep members from worshiping in their church.

A federal court recently ruled that Wayne State University discriminated against the Christian group InterVarsity Christian Fellowship when they canceled their student organization benefits because it had the audacity to require its leaders to be Christians.

More and more workplaces are requiring their employees to go through critical race theory training or be fired. Parents are having their parental rights removed if they do not endorse their children receiving gender reassignment surgery and hormones.

When we face pressure from the authorities, what will you do? Your natural inclination will be to shrink from your Christian responsibility, cower in fear, backpedal, stutter and stammer and apologize, to go along with the culture, to keep your mouth shut, cower in the corner and tolerate everything that’s going on around you.

But Jesus doesn’t ever tell us to accept and tolerate the actions of the devil and his minions. He says we are to storm the gates of hell (Matthew 16:18). We are to go on the offensive. We know full-well what can happen to us when we give our testimony. It may very well be a dangerous testimony.

We can have our business boycotted. We can be canceled. Arrested and put on trial. Expelled from college. Fired from the workplace. Even be put to death.

God calls for us to be bold witnesses before the authorities. Jesus gives you the confidence that the Holy Spirit will give you the right words to say. You will give your testimony before authorities like the government, college professors and employers. Be respectful. Speak clearly, confidently and with conviction.

Call those in the audience to repentance. They’re not persecuting you. They are persecuting the one who sent you. Proclaim your Savior’s crucifixion. Witness to Christ’s resurrection. Shine the light of Christ into their sin-darkened world. This is your opportunity.

As C.S. Lewis once said, “In such a fearful world, we need a fearless church.”

Tell them about a God who loved them enough to enter this world of sin and death, be rejected, persecuted and crucified by those he came to save. He wasn’t afraid to speak the truth before the religious and governing authorities. God’s love could not and did not stay dead. Jesus rose from the grave. Like Paul told Agrippa, none of this happened in a corner. This was testified throughout the inspired and inerrant Scriptures. Jesus is a historical person who was brutally and factually crucified. Numerous witnesses testified that Jesus walked out of the tomb alive on the third day. This is the Christ that the apostles put their lives on the line for. That Christians were thrown into prison and killed for by Saul the Pharisee. This is the Christ that Paul was in chains for.

This is the Christ for whom you are willing to be canceled, boycotted, arrested, put on trial, imprisoned and even martyred. All because you know that Jesus is the crucified and living Savior. He is the Light of the world. You will carry your cross for him since he carried his cross for you. He died so you might live. You are willing to die so you might live forever with you. He gained you heaven so you are willing to give up everything on earth.

Never be ashamed of the gospel message you share. Provide your story. Preach repentance. Proclaim Christ’s crucifixion. Pronounce Christ’s resurrection. You have no power to persuade people. There is power in the gospel that you share, though. You are always praying that God will turn the hearts of all who hear you speak clearly, confidently and with conviction. The Holy Spirit will give you the right words to say when you give your dangerous testimony before the authorities. Amen.

These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:31) Amen.